@ ruuku,
You ought to try out the mass effect games, at least sample ME2.

Anyone have reason to dissuade me from buying a FiiO E11 on my next paycheck to use with my Ety ER-6i and Q701? Also, I have a few items of adapter/mic goodness that should be arriving around the end of the week ^_^

Whoops, forgot about ME, played the heck out of 1, and ran through 2 twice. I should probably start looking around for a used copy of 3, should be pretty cheap. The reason I forgot it is because I lent my copy of 2 to a friend, and 1 was downloaded, so I don't have a physical copy. Was looking at my bookcase with my games when I posted.

As for the E11, I've been hearing good things about the upcoming "top of the line" E12, so I'm waiting for that to be released and reviewed before I pull the trigger on an E11. It *seems* like I'm getting enough power from both my reciever and the AX720DB, so for now I'm holding off.

Actually they are the same size as the Catleap, 27 inches. I would say they even use the same panel!

I guess with mine was cheaper then the Pixel Perfect Catleap, but the regular one was about the same price.

I know it's different but I just don't feel like reading through my OCN pages lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruuku

Just got the Qs in, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. I don't know if its "new toy" syndrome, but I'm really liking the soundstage and separation. The bass is there, and certainly more plentiful than the AD900s. I was going to compare the Q701 to the AD900s but since I no longer have them, I'm not too sure if I can be all that objective. What I can say is that the Qs are way more comfortable, but I miss the pillow like softness of the pads on the DT990Pros. It seems like the AX720DB can properly drive these though, getting a good amount of bass/bass clarity.

Ninja: sorry haven't heard the Senns, so I have nothing to add.

MLE: since you've done by far the most HP comparisons/reviews in the thread, are there any must listen to songs that demonstrate the strengths weakness of a certain 'phone? I know of the songs you posted for sub/midbass but any recommendations for mids, highs, soundstage (I'm guessing symphonic/live), and separation? I have a pretty good library to choose from, so if its anything remotely mainstream I may have it, and if not there's alway spotify. When I do the games comparison I'll probably use DeadSpace 2, Crysis2, Fallout3, COD4, and Dead Island, I think these games have some of the best audio (that I own) to test surround... Hmmm... maybe Rage?

No worries homie and good idea on music question. As for games I'd say MW3. (I know I know COD game...)

I say this because you can be an ass and use SitRep Pro. (For those who don't know what SitRep Pro is..)

Well the Pro part of SitRep Pro cancels out people with Dead Silence. YEP! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! Even if you earn Dead Silence when you learn/earn at a later level, SitRep Pro is made to make that skill completely useless. Now Dead Silence does wonders if no one has SitRep Pro as MW3 is a very "noisy" game and it allows you to be completely silent.

Say Search and Destroy! 1 Life no respawn. Dead Silence wins here... unless of course some jerk off has SitRep Pro. Now on SRP people can hear you clear as day, except now you can hear everyone else clear as day regardless. MixAmp Pro + O2 amp + K702. "Oh jeez.. this game just became easy."

/end rant! Sorry!

So I advise if you have MW3, it would probably be a great source/game to test positioning on a headphone just because you can cheat everyone out of a fair game. SRP - Bad for games. Good for testing headphones!

For PC Gamers!I should probably add this to Nameless PFG thread but..

I have confirmed that Hyper-Threading does in fact have a significant advantage in some video games. Now not all and by all means faster core clock is still the best way to get high FPS but! Hyper Threading if your core supports it adds a nice advantage on max, average, or min FPS on some games and a HUGE advantage on others. 4 GHz HT vs. 4 GHz non-HT on games like Dragon Age Origin. DA:O

4 GHz HT added more minimum FPS and more average FPS vs. 4 GHz non-HT. What does this mean? It means your PC will lag less on certain games if you enable Hyper Threading. Here is the benchmarks:

Sorry for off topic but I couldn't resist! Now does HT help for sound? Probably not.. LOL

Edit: Let it be said that hyper threading helps on GPU physics yet with the increased core temps it is not an advantage to gaming. Turning off HTT will allow higher head room for OC temps and higher Core speeds = better FPS on games over HTT to physics ratio.

If these indeed sound exactly the same as the 595 (or modded 555s), then unless you really need a mic and volume control all in one package, you'll be saving money by going with the 555's and modding them for the 595 sound and attach a mic. However, the PC360 can be had for around $180, and brings everything in one very attractive package. I can't say anything about the 555 and 595, but the PC360 is definitely a gaming beast.

I have the 595 and bought a pair of PC360 a while ago and sadly the PC360 do not sound as good as the 595. I had expected them to sound better but ah well. That being said, I still agree that the PC360 is definitely good for fps gaming and the raise-boom-to-mute-mic function is very convenient rather than fumbling for an inline switch.

I have the 595 and bought a pair of PC360 a while ago and sadly the PC360 do not sound as good as the 595. I had expected them to sound better but ah well. That being said, I still agree that the PC360 is definitely good for fps gaming and the raise-boom-to-mute-mic function is very convenient rather than fumbling for an inline switch.

I haven't had the pleasure of hearing PC 360 but I would love to hear how good the position is.

I would have assumed (guessed) the AKG Q701 is better then the HD558/HD598, when the Q701 is properly amplified.

Ya, I consider the Q701 to be on a different tier/level from the HD5xx (even though I've only heard PC360 ). The Sennheisers are still perfectly good for positioning and what not, they're just a bit more bland sounding.

I wonder if the Fostex TH-900 actually has this much of a bass hump compared to the D7000. Not that I'll ever own one (at $2,000 !!), but OMG it's soooo gorgeous.

Got the mixamp in today, and played a couple of games of MW2 and Dead Space 2. Not that I'm surprised, but its sounds pretty much the same as the AX720DB, with reduced static/floor noise. I really like having the large volume knob though, as powering down the AX720DB resets the volume, and turning it up is kind of a PITA, as the controls on the box is button based, and there is no indicator of volume level. I can see how the mixamp is a less elegant solution when it come to wires though, but the pros outweigh the cons, price included (YMMV though). The Q were a wonderful change from the 720s, soundstage feels at least twice as big, and there is an improvement across the whole frequency range. Everything is much cleaner, and crisper. Positioning was superb. I have a feeling that I'll stick with these as my main gaming can.

Can anyone point me to a tutorial on how to mod the Labtech mic? I got that in as well, and now i can't find that darn guide. I think it was on MLG forums, so in the meantime I'll go looking over there...

Edit: Nevermind... I thought the mic came apart. Apparently it was just hacked off...my kind of mod. I'll get out the dremel this weekend.

On another note it was pretty refreshing to go through a game of MW2 without getting noob-tubed. After a terrible first game I got MVP in the second with 15-5-9 with a yellow connection for most of the game. Not my best performance, but certainly not bad after not having played the game in at least 10 or so months.

The Astro A*Star. I need something quick and easy for portable use, as well as when I'm too lazy to clip on my DX mic (I haven't gamed with a mic in ages, desite having it) when I play on the Mixamp. The A*Star and A30s are about the only things that don't cost a stupid amount of money and are decent from Astro. Not sure about that cord length though.

I had a 38-5 game today on BLOPS, almost all Specter kills (got the dogs and chopper gunner, but we were on Cracked, and the choppers suck on that map. About 10 kills were from the airstreaks. I basically carried my team, though we still lost. Everyone else had less than 5 kills.

Everyone on the opposing team did well... but they just couldn't kill me, lol.

Ah well, it's not like I'm a team player. I'm terrible at teamwork, though I do put in a lot of work saving some asses.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 8/15/12 at 12:40am

I've found that it's difficult to play as a team with a public room/server full of strangers because people just don't work together for one reason or another. And from what I've seen, typical Call of Duty team deathmatch gameplay sure doesn't try to promote it with people spawning all over the place, just like any other FPS with TDM mode. Most other team-based gametypes have people spawning on particular sides of the map, so controlling the map is critical, and people naturally try to watch flanks and so forth.

(Or not, if my one experience playing BF1942 on Tobruk years ago was anything to go by. Some clever Axis player kept capping the Allied base instead of going through all the capture points leading to it, quickly making it a two-front battle. NOBODY on the Allied side apart from myself seemed to notice, and so we kept losing.)

Needless to say, I generally play only with friends these days, and most of what we play is co-op. I still find myself dropping into a 64-player BF1942 server every now and then, though. (Yes, people are still playing a 10-year-old multiplayer-centric game. How's that for longevity? I bet EA will pull the plug on all the BF3 servers long before that.)

I just saw a video of a guy complaining how the new Counter Strike is worse than the (patched) 13 year old game it's meant to replace, because the "skill ceiling" is lower in the current build from the jump stamina and different shot grouping bloom. So yeah, I believe people play old games. We still play soccer and rugby, right?
I really did enjoy the Battlefield (and Halo Reach in Assault Mode) squad spawn and "flag" territory control modes, they do intrinsically make strangers work to support eachother to an extent, while "team" deathmatch modes in games are mostly like free-for-all with only half the players trying to kill you (usually). In Halo, at least there's power weapons and limited weapon supply, which forces players into taking on a certain "role" to be team effective and "hot points" where you can expect a battle for area control. In fact, every time I think about CoD games I get a little annoyed, but it is where I made friends who I now play with regularly.
We have no leader, but I did kinda bring the group together and give us an identity, and I notice that the group starts to break apart when I am away for an extended time. Playing with the same core group for years really makes a difference though, we know eachother's style and our interactions make playing way more fun than the game is by itself. Now two of them are talking montages and MLG, I don't think we're particularly talented but we'll see what happens. I did buy our most nostalgic don't-change-anything-the-first-game-was-best member a copy of BF3 and I hope to see how we really play as a team with objectives. We'll see if they get hooked before EA drops the servers for BF4 (that they already accidentally leaked is under development for release within a year).

I had a chance to have my receiver hooked up for three days since I had the house to myself, but instead I was responsible and hit the grind. I'm hoping that when my separate mic and controller port adapter arrives I'll be able to make competitive play with headphones practical, cuz wearing my mic headset around my neck while using headphones was just not working out. I'll report back if these cheap lapel mics from Amazon (with half the shipping time of the DX mic) are suitable.

Also, I didn't know FiiO was working on an E11 successor... That's the way of technology though.

Believe it or not, I want these...
The Astro A*Star. I need something quick and easy for portable use, as well as when I'm too lazy to clip on my DX mic (I haven't gamed with a mic in ages, desite having it) when I play on the Mixamp. The A*Star and A30s are about the only things that don't cost a stupid amount of money and are decent from Astro. Not sure about that cord length though.

Sorry about your team. Also, I bet the short-looking length of the cable is just a trick of perspective... Notice how large the earbuds look in relation to the plug? And how do you use these with an Xbox for game and chat audio anyway, does it come with a smartphone wire splitter?
If you're going that route, you could just get the adapters and choose from any of the smartphone headsets. You might find yourself disappointed in Astro again like you were with their flagship model. I'm not making any suggestions though, I think exploration and discovery is half the fun for you

Well, I really, REALLY love flat style cables. I haven't seen any other IEM with it. Even now, the damn Turbines are a disaster when it comes to tangling. Hell, if someone made flat style cables for the Hifimans, I'd probably splurge on it.

As far as the Xbox, you're supposed to use a 2.5mm male/male cable from the Mixamp to the Xbox controller.

My problem with the Turbines is that they're already somewhat smooth, and the comply tips make them really bass heavy and detail recessed, which the Turbines didn't need. It's fine with a massive EQ, but EQ isn't available for things like the PS Vita. It's a boomy mess, unless I use the stock Turbine tips... and I'd rather punch myself in the face than go back to the stock tips. They hurt like hell.

The A Stars are apparently really bright, so I believe the comply foam tips would balance it out. In any case, even with their stock tips, I'm sure it'd be much better than the Turbine's stock tips.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 8/15/12 at 1:20am